How do you know if you're good?

After having a bad run, I stopped playing for about 6 months. I started back about 4 months ago with 4 dollars in my account. I babied that up to 75 and back down to 20 many times over those months. In the past 2 weeks, I am up to about 450. I usually play a 25 or 50 cent no limit table and a 10 man SNG. Everything seems to be working. I am worried that it is just a streak. My stats are
Hands won 13%
Showdowns 56% 12500 hands
Flops seen 23%
Win if see flop 35%
How do these stats seem to stack up?
I fold alot and slow play alot. Check call alot, too. I know this is not the prefered way to play. But I seem to get burned alot playingTAG.

Thanks,
admb0m

Usually your results over a large sample size are a pretty good indicator of how 'good' you are. Your results could be way over your expectation or way under, no way to tell with that small of a sample size.

Playing 50nl is WAY above your bankroll. Search some banrkoll management articles here.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE GOOD?"

Hi admb0m,

I used to ask experienced players that all the time when I started, but looking back, it never mattered.

In the big picture, none of us are very good anyways... we should only be looking to Improve! Improve! Improve! Improve! There's no finish line, only the process. I play up to $60/120, but compared to the great $200/400 players, I'm just "ok"...

Try not to get bogged-down w/ whether or not you're "good," just keep getting better!

Good luck,
Dayne

You know that's a very good question, and the trueth, as dayne G had stated, know 1 is really good, but improving, but on another note as chuck Ts, had also said your sample is to small, now with that being said, I personally think, and don't tell him, cuz it might get to his head personally believe chuck is a good player, weather he thinks it or not, and I personally try to either match his style and yet I fail because he and only he can do it, so with that being said and done, I try to accomplish certain goals in poker, doesn't mean your "good", it just means improving, and everytime u play ur getting better at the game, hope this helps

chuck and Dayne are spot on. Why such a rush?

What don't you try what i'm doing. However, i wouldn't recommend going as low as myself - atm 2/4c. Maybe play 10-15k of hands at 10/20c NL and see how you get on. If you win, put some money to oneside and try 25/50c and see if you can beat that level. If not, move back down.

Also u can experiment more and improve in the process at lower stakes. YOu can't really experiment with a large chunk of ur bankroll in play. It's probably affecting your game & making u timid. At 2/4c i can try to improve my reading and other areas. Then hopefully, if i do play higher i'll be all the better for it.

i don't know if this is the right thing to say in this post but i am going to say it anyways. i can't play less than .25/.50. maybe that says somthing about the way i am but i play a lot worse when i play them stacks. i play really lose aggressive to the point of stupidness. ok ok i know it sounds dumb but if i have 200$ in my account i will play .50/1.00 till i am either down to 50$ then go down till i am broke or win some money. i feel like i am good enough to play them stacks and i play tight aggressive and have done well with that. if i do go broke i will take a couple weeks off then play again. have only gone broke about 5 times over the past ten years, so i think i am doing ok.

Unfortunately good enough doesn't matter much in our game. You will get unlucky and take some downswings from time to time and your BR simply doesn't allow you any room for that. If you find yourself donking around too much at lower limits try multi tabling, if you play too many hands it will get ridiculous. This should cause you to pick better spots and not go nuts since you are considering the limit to be beneath you.
Remember we all have to start somewhere. I just tried to make the move to $25nl and well, failed and went back to $10nl where I currently belong. No big deal, sure maybe it's not as much of a rush since the pot sizes aren't as large but oh well. I got over it and hopefully I'll get another shot here soon enough.
If you simply need to play the higher limits to have fun perhaps you are more in it to gamble than to play the game.

Obviously being good or not depends on your definition of "good." I consider being a winning player (which is better than most players) to be good. I think anybody can be "good" if they put a little time and effort into it. IE, they put in a good amount of off-the-table learning time.

Now, of the 15% (or whatever the real number is... I'm just guessing at 15%) of players who are profitable, there varying degrees of "good." Personally, I'm at the not-so-good end of the spectrum.

How are you getting these stats? I assume you're using PokerTracker?

If you break even or make a profit at the ring games, you are better than average in ring games.

As far as seeing how you're doing at tournaments, plug your online ID into Officialpokerrankings and see what rating they give you. I think anything above 50% is better than average, but I'm not sure.

You can also try look at SharkScope. (Neither of these sites aren't 100% accurate, but they'll get you in the ballpark.)

You provided the answer to your own question right there. Patience and bankroll management are among the key skills which a "good" player must master. You have major leaks.

Compare (for example) Chris Ferguson, who can and does play equally well in a big-money televised tourney or in a micro-stakes online game.

]

But to consistently beat the rake, you have to be pretty darn good


To answer the original question: If you win money consistently over periods of 25k hands or more, you are good at the level you are playing. No excuses, no "I was winning until that downswing," no "Well, that's counting the shot I took at ..."

If your money goes up over the long haul, you are good.